The UCLA Activist-in-Residence program welcomed five changemakers — the largest cohort in its seven-year history — to campus with a Jan. 24 reception at DeCafe in Perloff Hall.
Opening remarks for the reception were delivered by Ananya Roy, professor of urban planning, social welfare and geography at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and director of the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy. She conceptualized the program as a sabbatical for participants, allowing them time and space to reflect, envision new projects — and connect with UCLA faculty, students and staff.
“More than ever, I am reminded, in these difficult times, that the residency is our effort to turn the university inside out,” Roy said. “At the institute, we organize knowledge within, against and beyond the university. The Activist-in-Residence program brings to the university the movement scholars and public intellectuals who are teachers and guides for this praxis.”
Community organizer Ron Collins II and revolutionary writer Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia will be hosted by the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, which has selected at least one activist since 2017.
The UCLA Asian American Studies Center, a longtime participant in the program, will host writer and social justice educator Shengxiao “Sole” Yu.
Robert Clarke, a designer and educator practicing at the intersection of culture, identity and architecture, will be hosted by cityLAB-UCLA, which is in its second year with the Activist-in-Residence program.
The UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Barbra Streisand Center, a new addition to the 2024 program, will host alumna Narges Zagub, a movement worker and facilitator.
Read the full story about the 2024 Activist-in-Residence program at the Luskin School’s website.
